


Because I love you

by sunsetdawn20



Category: Unter Uns
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, can everybody just leaven them the fuck alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 15:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14240085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsetdawn20/pseuds/sunsetdawn20
Summary: Written for a request on tumblr for the prompt: "I could care less because I love you"Valentin is back and Easy is getting really tired of having to defend his love for Ringo.





	Because I love you

“I just don’t get it, that’s all,” Valentin says for what feels like the seventeenth time and Easy is trying really hard to keep smiling at the harassed-looking woman waiting for her first of presumably many coffees of the day. Valentin is standing by the window, leaning against the wall of the kiosk with his back, and the woman carrying a large bag with thick folders of all colours keeps giving him vary side-glances, like he’s reminding her of past annoyances – which makes Easy think she might be a teacher, who just _knows_ Valentin’s type. The thought is amusing enough to keep Easy’s tone light when he answers:

“People change.” He hands the woman her coffee and makes sure to give her an extra large reassuring smile on the way.

Valentin makes an incredulous sound. “Ringo hasn’t, if even half the things I’ve been told are true.”

Easy presses his lips together and refrains from asking which of their friends decided it was their place to tell Valentin about all that.

“That’s not what I meant,” he says. “I changed. I started seeing a new side of him. A side that was maybe always there, just hidden too deep and I never knew to look for it.” The thought makes Easy smile to himself. He thinks of the way Ringo’s features soften when he’s asleep in Easy’s bed and it warms his heart.

“What side is that?” Valentin frowns, and it makes frustration rise in Easy’s chest again, even though Valentin sounds more confused than outright confrontational, and that’s a nice change compared to all his conversations with Tobias. So he bites back about seven different snarky responses and just says:

“Listen, I’m really tired of explaining this to literally every single one of the people in my life. Can you just please accept that I love and trust him and be ok with that?”

Valentin looks at him for a few moments, then nods. “Yeah, whatever. I’m just surprised that’s all.”

“Get in line,” Ringo’s sarcastic voice makes Easy whip around. He’s standing by the open door of the kiosk, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s wearing his blue jacket and a new scarf Easy hasn’t seen yet and it goes so well with that smirk on his face that Easy’s heart rate speeds up.

“Hey,” Easy says and can feel a smile spread on his face.

Ringo’s expression softens visibly when he looks at him, and Easy knows he’ll never get tired of seeing that.

“You were gone before I woke up,” Ringo says. “So I thought I’d come down and help out a little before work.”

Easy chuckles. “Don’t tell me, you’re all out of coffee upstairs.”

A soft smile plays in the corners of Ringo’s lips. He shrugs. “Well, there’s that too.”

Easy shakes his head and can’t help it, he just has to step closer to Ringo and pull him down for a kiss. Ringo immediately leans into him and the soft, content smile remains on his lips even as he pulls Easy closer by the hips and starts deepening the kiss.

It’s Valentin’s voice that breaks the moment:

“Yeah. No. Still weird.” Valentin says, but he is laughing good-naturedly and Easy counts that as about a quarter of a victory.

\---

_**two weeks ago** _

_“Are you done?” Easy asks Tobias, not even bothering not to sound irritated anymore._

_“Oh trust me, the list goes on. My half-brother is literally the-”_

_“Yes, well, I’m sorry I have to cut this short,” Easy says and gets up from the table. “But I urgently have to go make love to my boyfriend. Even at the risk of eternal damnation.”_

_“You joke, but when he hurts you again-“ Tobias says loudly, but is cut off by Ringo yelling from Easy’s room:_

_“Can you please drink yourself to sleep already?”_

_**nine days ago** _

_“I’m glad you two are back together,” Paco says one morning while Easy is waiting for Ringo do be done in the bathroom with all his damn creams and stuff._

_He smiles at Paco, so damn delighted at least one person is on their side. “Thank you. That means a lot.”_

_“And don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him, so he won’t mess up again.” Paco grins around a mouthful of cereal and doesn’t notice that Easy’s smile fades._

_“That’s… not necessary. He won’t mess up.”_

_“Let’s hope so,” Elli chimes in as she’s putting the milk back in the fridge, and Paco nods in approval._

_Just then Ringo comes out of the bathroom and only Easy notices the slight tension in his shoulders._

_**five days ago** _

_“Shit,” Easy curses when he almost falls over in one of the boxes he forgot by the side of the kiosk. It’s been one of those days when every customer is grumpy and the delivery is late and Tobias needs even more hands-on parenting than normally._

_“What did he do now?” Bambi asks as he walks by._

_“Sorry?” Easy frowns._

_“Well, Ringo. You seem upset and…I don’t know, I just assumed.”_

_It takes all that Easy has to keep his voice steady when he says: “Ok, I’m having a really crappy day, and if you want to know the only good part of that is the prospect of going home to Ringo and I really really really need all of you to just shut the-“_

_“Hey.” Ringo’s quiet voice cuts into his frustrated rant. Easy can feel Ringo’s hand on his shoulder and it grounds him enough to take a few deep breaths. He looks at Bambi, who is staring at him with wide, confused eyes._

_“Sorry. Bad day.”_

_Bambi nods. “Don’t worry about it.”_

_Then, as he’s leaving, he nods wordlessly at Ringo too._

_**two days ago** _

_“Why did you forgive him?” Saskia asks. She’s been crying again and Easy wishes he could help somehow, so he sits down next to her on the sofa. He doesn’t answer her question, because nothing he could say to that would be helpful to her._

_“Jakob isn’t worth this,” he says and hands her some tissues. “He should have valued you more. He doesn’t deserve you.”_

_“Does Ringo deserve you?”_

_Easy sighs. He knows she doesn’t mean to wound, Saskia has no malicious bone in her body, but the question still upsets Easy and he knows he sounds defensive and exhausted when he says:_

_“I love him.”_

_Saskia looks at him and says: “That’s not always enough.”_

_“No,” Easy says softly. “It isn’t. Go wash your face and try to sleep.”_

_She nods and gets up, walks to the bathroom. Easy sighs and decides to go up the stairs to Ringo’s room, but he finds Ringo already sitting on the steps, watching him with a soft, sad smile._

\---

“Are you ok?” Easy asks in the evening. Ringo is sitting at the desk in Easy’s room, looking at job offers on his laptop and frowning more than Easy would like. Easy is sitting on his bed, trying to read a crime novel, but he keeps getting distracted by his own thoughts about the conversation he had with Valentin earlier.

“Mhm,” Ringo says distractedly and without looking away from his screen.

“I mean about Valentin,” Easy says. “You shouldn’t have had to hear what he said.”

Ringo sighs and closes his laptop, then turns around to face Easy. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not.”

“It’s not like he hasn’t said worse things about me,” Ringo shrugs and even manages to makes it sound like it makes no difference to him, but Easy knows him better than that. He reaches his hand out and watches Ringo’s posture relax before taking Easy’s hand and letting himself be dragged onto the bed. They lie down facing each other and Easy smiles when Ringo links their fingers together – it’s a thing he does so often Easy noticed the pattern, but he’s careful not to bring it up in case it might spook Ringo into stopping.

“Ringo, I want you to know that…”

“I know. You don’t have to.” Ringo shifts even closer.

“I just don’t want you to think I would ever let that come between us,” Easy continues anyway, because he needs Ringo to know this with absolute certainty. I honestly couldn’t care less about anything they have to say because I love you and you make me happy.”

Ringo’s face lights up at his words, though he’s visibly trying to contain his joy and that makes Easy’s heart swell with affection.

“I just wish,” Ringo says softly, “that you didn’t have to fight so hard for us.”

Easy shrugs and smiles: “This is worth fighting for. You showed me that.”


End file.
